Joe LaRocco, 91, has lived in Lynbrook for nearly all of his nine decades. He remembers much of the area as farm land. “It’s always been a quiet village — that hasn’t changed much,” LaRocco reminisced recently. “It grew gradually because people began to realize how great the village was.” LaRocco has said that although the village has undergone many changes, its residents are what make it a community — and many residents and local officials agree that one of the people who played a large role in making the village what it is today is LaRocco. His dedication to work, community and family make him the ideal choice for the Herald’s 2009 Person of the Year. more

Kathleen Johannsen, executive director of Atria Tanglewood, is the Lynbrook Chamber of Commerce’s Businessperson of the Year. more

Due to the threat of inclement weather, the Bellmore Family Street Festival, sponsored by the Bellmore Chamber of Commerce, has been postponed, and has been rescheduled for the weekend of Oct. 24-25. more